Build conversations with clear next steps

Define the conversation’s job

Choose a task that can be described from the user’s perspective. A documentation bot might help someone identify a request parameter and find its reference page. A support bot might collect enough context for a person to resolve an issue. These goals need different answers, escalation paths, and success measures.

Write the essential conversation states: opening, clarification, evidence gathering, answer, and handoff. Give each state a purpose. A clarification should reduce a specific ambiguity, such as which API version the user is using.

Keep the answer connected to evidence

For documentation questions, supply the approved source material and ask the bot to identify where its answer comes from. Treat retrieved content as information to assess; instructions embedded in a document should not redefine the bot’s permissions. When the evidence is missing or inconsistent, a useful response names the gap.

Conversation storage belongs in the application design. The Claude Messages API documentation describes stateless conversation requests, where the client supplies the conversation history. Other endpoints may offer different state features, so verify the actual interface before choosing a storage strategy.

Plan a handoff that preserves progress

• Intent: State what the user is trying to accomplish.
• Context: Include the relevant product area and non-sensitive identifiers.
• Evidence: Summarize what has already been checked.
• Open question: Make the remaining decision easy for the next person to see.

A handoff should not require the user to repeat every detail. At the same time, avoid storing an entire conversation when a compact, approved summary is sufficient. Decide which information is necessary for the task and how users can correct it.

Evaluate more than answer fluency. Review whether the bot asks unnecessary questions, repeats failed suggestions, claims an action completed without evidence, or ends a conversation before the issue is resolved. Include ambiguous and unsupported requests in the test set.

Use AI prompt design to make conversation instructions concrete. Move to agent action design when the bot needs permissioned tools that change an external system.